Gazers of the Night
by KiwiKow
Summary: "I've always loved stars," Rachel suddenly announces. She stretches out her hands and squints one eye. "When it's like this, it's almost like I can grab the entire universe-" she squeezes her hands shut "-in the palm of my hand."


Ever since she was a little girl, Quinn Fabray has always been fascinated with the night sky. As twilight faded to dusk, her dad would take her out to their backyard and hold her in his lap as they sat on a lawn chair and looked up. That house, a veritable mansion, had been on the outskirts of Lima. Without light pollution, it had been perfect for stargazing. No matter what has happened with her father, Quinn will always look back on those warm, summer evenings with nothing but fondness.

And since stars have always been Quinn's favorite part of the night sky, she really shouldn't be so surprised that she ended up dating one.

"Quinn! Quinn, look at that one!" Rachel excitedly points up as a star shoots across the sky. Quinn can only chuckle to herself as she lays an unfolded sleeping bag on the damp grass. She can't help but stare at Rachel for a moment. She's wearing a pair of short-shorts – _isn't it a bit cold for that?_ – and Quinn's old Cheerios sweatshirt. Quinn herself is wearing Rachel's NYADA sweatshirt. Despite the sweatshirt being fairly new, it already smells like Rachel.

She's brought out of her reverie when Rachel gasps beside her. "Wow," Rachel breathes as she catches sight of another streak of white.

Quinn shakes her head and grabs Rachel's hand. "Hold on, wait for me to get this set up." Subconsciously, Rachel links her fingers with Quinn's, but she gives no other indication that she's paying attention to her girlfriend as she cranes her head back at what is surely an uncomfortable angle to take in the night sky. Rolling her eyes, Quinn flops down on the sleeping bag and yanks Rachel with her. The other girl squeaks but immediately starts giggling. She presses herself into her girlfriend's side and sighs. When Quinn gives her a funny look, she simply shoots back an, "I'm freezing." And then, Quinn understand that that shorts are just an excuse to share body heat. Figures.

The two sit in silence for a while, looking up at the sky. "I don't see any," Rachel grumbles after a minute.

"Umm…is that one?"

"No, babe. That's a plane."

"Oh."

Just then, a gigantic meteor shoots across the sky. The both grin at the timing.

"I've always loved stars," Rachel suddenly announces. She stretches out her hands and squints one eye. "When it's like this, it's almost like I can grab the entire universe-" she squeezes her hands shut "-in the palm of my hand."

"I know what you mean. It feels like…looking up, I know there's so much out there, you know? It makes me feel small, but big. Like I'm not trapped here."

Rachel blinks. "You're going to Yale in a month, Quinn. You're hardly trapped in Lima."

Quinn just shrugs. "Leftover feelings from when I didn't know I had a way out, I guess."

Rachel coos sympathetically and moves closer to Quinn before turning her head back to straight above her.

"I wish I could bottle up this night. I want to have this – the warm air, the wet grass beneath my fingers, _you_ – on demand."

"You'll have me on demand." Quinn wraps an arm around Rachel and pulls her closer, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Rachel looks like she wants to reply, but falters. Quinn gives her a look. "It's like, 70 miles—"

"—79.2—"

"—and it's not going to change _anything_. You already have my heart. Nothing's going to change that."

"I know, I just…" Rachel averts her eyes and sniffs. "I'm going to miss you."

"We'll still see each other. We have computers, and cell phones, and train tickets." Quinn moves Rachel's head so she can look into her eyes. "I'm not going to forget about you, okay?"

Rachel smiles, brown still deeply locked with hazel. "I love you."

"I know."

"Shut up."

"Make m—" And Rachel leans forward, pressing her lips to Quinn's, and does just that. They lay there kissing chastely for a while until Quinn fists Rachel's hair in her fingers and Rachel moans loudly. In one swift motion, Quinn moves herself on top of Rachel, not breaking contact, softly undulating until Rachel breaks her mouth away and moves her hands down to rest on Quinn's ass. Quinn sees this as an opportunity to suck on Rachel's neck.

"Can you see the stars from that position?" Rachel mumbles quietly.

"I can see one star. It's very bright and very _hot_."

Rachel sighs. "As good as this feels, Quinn, we have all the time in the world to make out like the sexually repressed teenagers that we are, while these meteor showers only come along once every year."

Quinn rolls her eyes but rolls off her girlfriend, knowing that she's right. Still, she can't help but make a quick jab. "Stars aren't all that great anyway. Most of what we're seeing right now – like that bright one right there, especially that – has already burnt out. The light just takes a long time to travel because it's so far away. We're basically looking up into a window to the past, a graveyard of stars."

Rachel scrunches her nose. "How charming."

"Thanks, I try."

Another star shoots by. "I really do love you, you know," Rachel sighs as she curls against Quinn. All Quinn can do is smile in return.

"I know."

It's funny how the universe looks so big up there when her universe is beside her, falling asleep on her shoulder.


End file.
